Receiver hitch canopy

ABSTRACT

A portable canopy system that has a U-shaped member that pivotably attaches to a hitch of a vehicle. At least one vertical support member is detachably received by and extends from the U-shaped member and receives a canopy assembly. The canopy assembly has a plurality of roof support members that receive a canvas that is attached to the plurality of roof members using a plurality of fasteners.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/260,063 filed Nov. 11, 2009.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to canopies. More specifically, this invention relates to a portable canopy.

Portable canopies have been used for many years to provide shade and cover from rain when at different events. For example, canopies are often used at tailgate parties, farmers markets, by construction crews or the like in order to provide a shaded area or an area away from rain. Typically, a canopy has a frame that is anchored to the ground by a stake or a weight and the frame supports a fabric roof that provides a canvas over a predetermined area.

Several problems exist with existing canopies. Specifically, staking canopies to the ground is both time consuming and difficult, especially when a canopy is being used on a paved surface. Typically, canopies are very difficult to construct and are difficult to transport from one location to the next.

Thus, a principal object of the present invention is to provide a portable canopy system that is easy to construct and transport.

These and other features, advantages, and attributes will be further discussed in the specification and claims.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A portable canopy system that has a U-shaped member that detachably connects to a hitch of a vehicle such as a truck. The U-shaped member receives first and second adjustable legs and first and second vertical support members both that extend from the U-shaped member. First and second legs support the portable canopy system while the vertical support members detachably receive a canopy assembly that includes a plurality of roof members and a canopy that is attached thereto. All the parts are detachable so that the entire system can be easily assembled and disassembled by a user.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a portable canopy assembly; and

FIG. 2 is an exploded plan view of a portable canopy assembly.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The figures show a portable canopy system 10. The canopy system 10 includes a plurality of sections including first and second adjustable leg portions 12 and 14 that have feet 16 for setting the leg portions 12 and 14 on the ground. Connected to the legs 12 and 14 is a U-shaped member 18. The U-shaped member 18 can be connected with a fastening device 20 that utilizes a pin or alternatively a wing nut 22 and a bracket that is arcuate in shape to receive the U-shaped member 18. The U-shaped member 18 has a tailgate section 24 that pivotally connects and is secured to the hitch 26 of a truck 28 such that the tailgate section 24 pivotably secures the canopy assembly 10 to a vehicle 28 or truck to provide additional stability to the canopy assembly 10.

The U-shaped member 18 additionally receives a pair of vertical support members 30 and 32 that extend vertically to be connected with a connecting device 34 to roof support members 36. The connecting device 34 in a preferred embodiment is a T-shaped member that has a hollow tubular T-shaped body that receives the vertical support members and additionally receives the roof support members such that both may be secured therein.

The roof support members 36 may be made of a plurality of interchangeable support pieces that may be broken down into individual pieces to facilitate transportation. The roof support members 36 when constructed form two side-by-side rectangular shaped supports such that a fabric 38 may be extended over and within each support in order to form a roof or barrier. The fabric or canvas 38 is attached to the roof support members 36 by a plurality of detachable fastening members 40 that in a preferred embodiment are ball bungees that are positioned around the roof support members and have grommets that attach to the support and are made of a flexible material that pulls the fabric taut to the roof supports 36.

In operation, all of the individual pieces of the canopy assembly 10 are broken apart and are easily hauled in the back of a truck or vehicle 28 being used to haul materials. Once an individual gets to the location where the canopy is to be set up, the individual can then attach the U-shaped member 18 pivotally to the vehicle 28 by the hitch attachment 34 and secure the legs 12 and 14 to the U-shaped member 18 to provide footing on the ground. The vertical members 30 and 32 are then placed within the U-shaped member 18 and connected to the T-shaped connector 34. Meanwhile, the roof support members 36 can be constructed separate and apart including attaching the fabric canvas 38 using the roof support fastening members 40 or ball bungees. The roof support members 36 are then placed within the T-shaped fastening member 34 in order to form the canvas assembly.

Thus, provided is a canvas system 10 that is portable and can be easily deconstructed to facilitate transportation. In addition, by having a U-shaped member 18 that can be secured to a vehicle 28, stability is provided such that stakes, weights on the legs, or other means do not have to be used in order to hold the canopy system 10 in place. Additionally, because of the size of a vehicle 28 the canopy system 10 is very stable and there is little chance that wind conditions can cause the canopy to blow over damaging the canopy or items being protected by the canopy. In addition, the canopy is easy to construct and a single individual can construct the entire canopy within minutes. Thus, an improvement over canopy assemblies in the art is presented. Thus, all of the stated objectives have been met.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that other various modifications could be made to the device without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention. All such modifications and changes fall within the scope of the claims and are intended to be covered thereby. 

1. A portable canopy system comprising: a U-shaped member having a tailgate section that connects and is secured to a hitch of a vehicle; at least one vertical support member detachably received by and extending from the U-shaped member; a canopy assembly having a plurality of roof support members detachably connected to vertical support members.
 2. The portable canopy system of claim 1 wherein the U-shaped member is pivotally connected to the hitch.
 3. The portable canopy system of claim 1 further comprising first and second adjustable legs detachably secured to the U-shaped member.
 4. The portable canopy system of claim 1 wherein the canopy assembly is detachably connected to the vertical support members with a T-shaped member.
 5. The portable canopy system of claim 1 wherein the canopy assembly has a canvas attached to the plurality of roof support member by a plurality of detachable fastening members.
 6. The portable canopy system of claim 5 wherein the plurality of detachable fastening members are ball bungees. 